Page 7 of Teach Me

“No, but I’m taking Psychology of Decision Making this semester. Noticed your name on the receipt. I hope that’s not weird to say.”

“It happens more often than you think.” A lot of students worked at restaurants in Silver Ridge, after all. I handed him back the pen and the receipt. “So I suppose I’ll see you again soon?”

“I guess so.” He shrugged nonchalantly, a puckish grin forming on his lips as he continued. “I’ve heard it’s a pretty tough course. Sounds like I’ll have to actually show up to class.”

I tilted my head. “Is that the word on the street these days?”

“Yup.” He flashed me a mischievous wink, then leaned in, putting his hand to one side of his mouth the way that had amused me earlier, his voice dropping once again to a conspiratorial whisper. “But I really dig the subject, so I would’ve shown up anyway.”

He’s trouble. I could practically hear John’s voice, see his smug grin as I chuckled in response and met Cameron’s sparkling gaze head-on. “Good, then I won’t have to drop you from the class, which is what I do with anyone who doesn’t show up the first day. Considering you’ve got your ear to the ground, I’m assuming you’ve also heard my classes are quite popular.”

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” He gave me a little salute before turning away and leaving me sitting there with an odd sensation in the pit of my stomach. Had I been flirting with him?

Had he been flirting with me back?

I’d have to watch that, considering he was taking one of my classes.

4

CAM

Ilowered the weight bar back into its cradle and grunted in disgust at myself for continuing to submit to this well-intentioned torture in the name of vanity and endorphins. Nate laughed at my misery as he slung another plate on the end nearest him. Show-off. “Have I mentioned that I’m here against my will?” I groused.

“Only after every set we’ve done for the last six months.” He grinned as he picked up an additional plate to tack on the opposing side of the bar. “I’m hard of hearing when it comes to whining, though.”

“I can sign it in ASL if that helps.”

“He’s just used to being the one whining. You’re stealing his thunder.” Eric came to a stop beside us, a towel draped loosely around his neck. He’d been on the treadmill the entire time Nate and I had been doing our “personal training” session. Sam was the better impromptu personal trainer, but ever since he and Jesse had gotten together, they’d spent most of their free time shooting videos for Sam’s OnlyFans. That little endeavor was an open secret among the roommates that had come out when the washing machine had gone unbalanced due to Jesse and Samusing it for one of their scenes. Neither could lie for shit, so it’d taken one hard stare from Mark for them to confess what they’d been up to. Now if anything in the house broke, we looked to them first, which annoyed them to no end but was super entertaining for the rest of us. And, it was usually their fault.

“I don’t whine in the gym.” Nate gave Eric a narrow-eyed stare.

“True. Just other places.” Eric arched a brow, a lascivious tinge to his smirk as they exchanged a longer look. When Nate wrenched the towel from Eric’s neck and snapped it at his ribs, Eric’s grin widened.

It was a hazard I’d gotten used to with them, pretending not to notice when they’d occasionally disappear into the locker room’s showers together. Much like Sam and Jesse, their insatiable sex life was an open secret. I’d walk home alone when they ditched me, vaguely horny, envious, and absolutely convinced they’d hit a relationship jackpot few did.

Well, except my other roomies who were also in kick-ass relationships.

I’d told them all more than once they should buy lotto tickets. Always seemed to go over their heads, though, except Mark’s. Meanwhile, I could barely get a shoelace to commit to a knot, much less find someone I was interested in—not that I was searching hard. Or at all. Jesse said it was because, deep down, I was closed off to it, just like he had been before Sam. Sometimes I thought he was right. I didn’t know why. The idea of a whole-ass relationship still seemed overwhelming. I didn’t believe in soul mates or twin flames or anything like that. At least not for me. That was for normal people who hadn’t spent a year in a pill fog going buck wild and hardly remembering a goddamned thing about it. I only dimly remembered the first time I’d kissed another guy, for fuck’s sake, which sucked because I’d been fantasizing about it for years before that. Andwhile I wasn’t physically a virgin, in a lot of ways, I was mentally. I felt awkward and behind the times when it came to dating and relationships, and no amount of dating app profiles or episodes ofLove Is Blindhad changed that.

“Hit the showers?” Nate asked, and the way Eric’s gaze prowled over him served as my cue.

“I’m gonna head on home. I’m starving.” They probably didn’t even hear me.

“Hey,” Eric called out from behind me. “How was that club you went to the other night? Worth checking out?”

I spun back around to face him and affected a noncommittal shrug. “It was alright. I mean, yeah, it was cool. There was a…ummm… There were glory holes there. Never seen that before.” I’d kinda hoped they’d forgotten I’d mentioned that I was going to the club at all, and I hadn’t told Jesse or Sam because they’d have wanted to come along. I loved my roommates, but all of them together was overwhelming at times, and a solo night out had sounded way better than a bunch of couples trying to wingman for me.

“Interesting.” Nate’s brows perked. “And? Were people using it?” Behind Nate, Eric’s expression turned thoughtful. I recognized that look. He was plotting.

The back of my neck was warm just from saying the word “glory hole” and all of the memories it called up. I hoped my cheeks weren’t turning pink. That hookup had been fucking wild, and I continued to relive the highlights nightly. “Just an observation. Not sure anyone still uses those. Kinda weird, you know?” I hedged. “Stranger danger, and…yeah.” As if I hadn’t been down on my knees lapping at a stranger’s dick like I’d invented glory holes.

Eric’s expression said he was far from dissuaded by my lackluster report. “Fuck, we definitely need to check that place out, then.”

“No.” Nate scoffed. “I know how that scenario ends.”

“In mutually explosive pleasure?” Eric leered at Nate.

I rolled my eyes with a chuckle. “Y’all tell me how it is. Or actually, don’t. I’ll just avoid the last two stalls if I ever go back there again.” Which I wouldn’t because I’d always heard lightning rarely struck twice. Returning to the club to lurk in the same stall in the hopes that the same guy would return on the same night and time that I did sounded both pathetic and impossible.